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Stunning all-round performance against Ireland at home has lifted Hayley Matthews in all three tables

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2023Suzie Bates has moved up three spots to No. 5 in the women’s T20I batting rankings following scores of 44 and 52 in the first two games in Sri Lanka, while Hayley Matthews and Amelia Kerr have both closed in on Ashleigh Gardner at the top of the allrounders’ table.Chamari Athapaththu batted New Zealand out of the ODI series that preceded the T20Is, totalling 248 runs while being dismissed just once in three innings to give her side a 2-1 win, but New Zealand hit back in the T20Is, winning the first two to pocket the series. Their star performers in the two T20Is were Bates and Kerr with the bat and Lea Tahuhu with the ball, and that reflected in the ICC rankings.Bates went up to 677 rating points, behind Tahlia McGrath (784), Beth Mooney (777), Smriti Mandhana (728) and team-mate Sophie Devine (683), and another good performance could take her higher before she leaves Sri Lanka.

Full rankings tables

• Click here for the full team rankings

• Click here for the full player rankings

Kerr has scored 34 and 33 not out in Sri Lanka so far and the two wickets she picked up in the two games took her closer to the top of the allrounders’ chart, placing her at No. 3.The standout all-round performance of the week came from Matthews, the West Indies captain, who scored 135 runs and picked up eight wickets, including a hat-trick in the final game, to script a 3-0 sweep of Ireland at home. She is at No. 2 among allrounders, up two spots to No. 17 among batters, and up three spots to seventh among bowlers.Tahuhu also moved up within the top ten among bowlers, her four-for in the second T20I against Sri Lanka lifting her two places to sixth.On to Bangladesh vs India, where Harmanpreet Kaur was the Player of the Match with her 35-ball 54 not out to lead India to a comfortable win in the first T20I. That took her up four places to joint tenth.At the end of the T20I leg of the Ashes, which got over on July 8 with England winning 2-1 and bouncing right back in the contest after conceding the one-off Test, Mooney, who scored 115 runs, closed in on McGrath at the top of the batters’ table, just seven points separating the two.

It came down to five needed from 2 balls when Maitlan Brown became the hero

AAP13-Oct-2022Ellyse Perry made an early statement in her bid to win back an Australian Twenty20 spot, starring with bat and ball in Sydney Sixers’ tournament-opening WBBL win over Brisbane.Chasing the Heat’s 8 for 141 for victory, Perry hit 55 from 48 balls to help Sixers claimed a thrilling victory with one ball and four wickets to spare in Mackay on Thursday night when Maitlan Brown struck her first delivery for six with five runs needed.It came after Perry had taken 2 for 27 from her four overs with the ball, appearing to bowl with more control than in previous summers on return from a back injury.Related

• From Capsey to Kapp and Kaur to Kerr: the overseas stars in the WBBL

• WBBL previews: Can Perth Scorchers go back-to-back and will Sydney Sixers rebound?

• WBBL warned not to be complacent as T20 leagues grow

Perry has not played a T20 international for Australia since last October, having missed out on selection in the shortest format during last summer’s Ashes and the Commonwealth Games.However the retirement of Rachael Haynes and Meg Lanning’s personal leave have opened the door for a possible return, with several players vying for the top-order spots. And Perry laid the first marker.With her scoring rate previously the issue in T20 cricket, Perry struck seven fours in her innings against the Heat and made a point to go after the ball just as she did in the recent Hundred competition.Perry at one point crunched a lovely cover drive for four off Courtney Sippel, before playing her signature cut shot the next ball to find the rope behind point. She brought up her 50 off 42 balls when she pulled Nicola Hancock for 4, before being caught trying to sweep Jess Jonassen.Perry shared a 93-run fourth-wicket stand with Erin Burns, who notched up 50 from 37 balls. Sixers stalled when the pair both fell, before Maitlan Brown saved the Sixers’ night with a first-ball six off Georgia Voll when Sydney required five off the final two balls.”I don’t know what I was thinking,” Brown said. “I was coming down the pitch before she even released it…and it paid off.”Earlier, fellow national team candidate Georgia Redmayne impressed at the top of the order for the Heat.The left-hander got off the mark with a glorious drive from Lauren Cheatle, and worked her way to 49 before hitting Cheatle straight to backward-square leg.Redmayne also backed it up with the gloves, taking a smart stumping standing up to the wickets to quick Jess Kerr to remove Ash Gardner when she overbalanced on 2.Teenage star Voll hit 32 for the Heat, before Brown dented Heat’s late charge with figures of 3 for 20 with the ball.

England seamer has previous IPL experience with CSK, RCB, SRH and KXIP

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Apr-2023 • Updated on 09-May-2023England fast bowler Chris Jordan has joined Mumbai Indians as a replacement player for the remainder of IPL 2023.Jordan went unsold at a base price of INR 2 crore at the auction that was held in December last year, but has previous IPL experience with Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings.Related

• Jofra Archer returns home from IPL to 'focus on his rehabilitation'

• Riley Meredith replaces injured Jhye Richardson at Mumbai Indians

• Jhye Richardson out of IPL 2023, likely to miss Ashes too

• Archer left IPL to visit elbow specialist in Belgium

The 34-year-old has picked up 27 IPL wickets in 28 innings at an average of 30.85 and an economy of 9.32. Jordan last played in the IPL in 2022 for Super Kings, where he managed two wickets in four outings.Mumbai have struggled with their international fast bowlers this season with Jasprit Bumrah unavailable, Jhye Richardson ruled out and Jofra Archer recently returning from Belgium after meeting an elbow specialist. While Riley Meredith replaced Richardson, it is not yet known who Jordan has replaced in the Mumbai camp.*Jordan has recent T20 experience with a season with eventual champions Gulf Giants at the ILT20 tournament in February. He finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker, picking 20 wickets in ten innings, averaging 13.80. He also played three T20Is against Bangladesh last month.Archer is expected to play for Mumbai on Sunday evening against Rajasthan Royals, with the side hoping to move up from ninth on the IPL points table.*

Texas Chargers caught up with New York Warriors at the top of the table, while New Jersey Triton’s were bowled out for 53

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2023Darren Stevens smashed 36 off 18 deliveries, while Mohammad Hafeez picked up three vital wickets for Texas Chargers as they completed a 34-run victory over Morrisville Unity. Sreesanth picked up four wickets, but his effort was ultimately in vain.Chargers got off to a poor start as Sreesanth sent Hafeez and Mukhtar Ahmed packing in the second over. Unfazed by the early dismissals, captain Ben Dunk smashed Dane Piedt for a four and a six in the next over.Dunk and Thisara Perera rotated strike consistently to keep the scoreboard ticking, before Piedt ended the 35-run third-wicket stand in the fifth over, Corey Anderson completing a brilliant catch diving forward to send back Thisara.Dunk couldn’t hold the fort for much longer as a straighter delivery from Piedt rattled his stumps three balls later. Darren Stevens took matters into his own hands and increased the run rate with his attacking display. He hit Calvin Savage for a six and a four off consecutive deliveries in the seventh over before his partner Upul Tharanga slammed a six over long-on to complete the over.The English all-rounder hit Najaf Shah for consecutive boundaries in the next over, with Tharanga adding a six in the final delivery. Sreesanth then hit back, dismissing both Stevens and Tharanga in the ninth over.Unity were rocked early in their chase as Fidel Edwards had Parthiv Patel lbw with the first legal ball of the innings, after he had started with a wide. Hafeez then sent back Chris Gayle, having him caught and bowled in the third over.Shehan Jayasuriya kept the Chargers in the chase by hitting Ehsan Adil for three fours and a six in the fourth over. However, Edwards ended his stay at the wicket with a surprise bouncer in the next over.Hafeez struck two more times in the sixth to leave Unity 48 for 5, requiring 62 off the last 24 balls. Their task grew even more difficult when Tanvir dismissed Navin Stewart in a one-run seventh over.With Corey Anderson struggling to get going, scoring at less than a run a ball, the chase fell apart. Anderson hit the last two balls of the match to the boundary to finish unbeaten on 16 off 17 balls.Ashley Nurse smashed 22 off just nine balls•Ace Images/US Masters T10

Quickfire cameos from Aaron Finch and Ashley Nurse handed California Knights their second win of the campaign as they beat New York Warriors by 15 runs. Finch scored 24 runs off 12 balls, while Nurse smashed 22 off nine deliveries to keep the Knights’ hunt for the top four alive.Finch’s decision to bat paid off as Knights stitched together a total of above 100. The stand-in captain found the fence once in the first over and hit two boundaries in the second. He then hit Abdur Rehman for a six in the third before the Warriors left-arm spinner struck back to have Finch caught at long-on.Jacques Kallis took the run-scoring baton after that, hitting Dhammika Prasad for a four and a six in the fourth over. However, Prasad had his revenge in his next over, when Kallis miscued an attempted big hit.Nurse was the next batter in and he made his intent clear as he dispatched Abdul Razzaq for a six over long-on off the first ball he faced. Ricardo Powell joined in the fun with two successive sixes off Jerome Taylor, before falling lbw to give the former West Indies quick his second wicket. Nurse hit two more sixes, one each in the last two overs, leaving Warriors needing 107.The chase began on a positive note as Kamran Akmal and TM Dilshan stitched together 22 runs in the first two overs. Devendra Bishoo turned things around, though, having Akmal stumped in the third over and Richard Levi caught in the deep in the fifth, while only conceding 10 off those two overs. With Ben Laughlin bowling a tight fourth over as well, Warriors were left needing 71 off their last 30 balls.Dilshan and Misbah-ul-Haq kept their hopes alive, putting on 43 off 24 for the third wicket. Fortunes swung rapidly: Dilshan was run out in the penultimate over, only for Misbah to hit the next ball, a no-ball from Pawan Suyal, for six. It came down to 21 off six balls, and Pathan finished the game with an excellent last over, fiving away just five runs.Hammad Azam and Hamilton Masakadza put on 74 in 32 balls•Ace Images/US Masters T10

A stellar display with bat and ball helped Atlanta Riders register a colossal 48-run victory over New Jersey Triton’s. Both sides are level on points at the wrong end of the table, but both still have a chance to qualify for the knockouts.Opting to bat, Riders lost their top three before hitting the 20-run mark, with Bipul Sharma getting Triton’s off to the perfect start by dismissing Robin Uthappa with the first ball of the innings. Hamilton Masakadza (43 off 25) and Hammad Azam (38 off 16) then revived Riders with a fourth-wicket stand of 74 off 32 balls.Masakadza began cautiously, scoring 8 off his first 10 balls, before launching Monty Panesar for a six in the fifth over. In the next over, Hammad hit Peter Trego for three consecutive sixes. He dealt similarly with Panesar in the seventh over, hitting him for two sixes in a row.The duo kept finding the fence consistently in the last three overs, before Trego ended their scintillating partnership in the final over.The Triton’s faltered in the chase from the word go, with Gautam Gambhir following his former Kolkata Knight Riders opening partner Uthappa in being dismissed off the first ball of the innings. Kamrul Islam was the bowler, and he struck again in the first over by getting Naman Ojha to play on.Two more wickets fell in the second over, with Harmeet Singh dismissing Jesse Ryder and Cameron Delport. Yusuf Pathan flickered briefly, hitting Kamrul for two sixes, and Chris Barnwell gave him some support with a pair of fours in the fourth over. Mohammad Irfan cleaned up both batters in the fifth over, though, leaving Triton’s 36 for 6.They were eventually bowled out for 53, their innings folding up in just nine overs.

On a pitch that offered substantial assistance, Sri Lanka’s spin-bowling coach felt his bowlers were somewhat overeager

Andrew Fidel Fernando23-Nov-2021Sri Lanka’s young trio of frontline spinners has taken seven wickets between them and seemingly put the team in a strong position in the opening Test against West Indies. But spin-bowling coach Piyal Wijetunge thinks they could have done much better.Offspinner Ramesh Mendis (26 years old), and left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama (23), took three wickets apiece, and Lasith Embuldeniya (25) took one, to help reduce West Indies to 224 for 9 before rain washed out much of day three’s play.But on a pitch that offered substantial assistance, Wijetunge thought his bowlers were somewhat overeager.”I’m not 100% happy – we could have done much better. We have been missing lines and lengths very frequently,” Wijetunge said of the performance. “We’ve got three young spinners, and on this pitch, which turns a lot, I think we were trying too hard to get wickets. We need to have patience, because the pitch does help us.”Instead of bowling the ball in one spot and waiting for the pitch to do the work, we went hunting for wickets. We tried too many things. But of these three spinners, Lasith Embuldeniya has played 12 [11] Tests, Praveen Jayawickrama has played two [one], and Ramesh Mendis three [two]. They need to keep building on their consistency.”However, Wijetunge did believe that Sri Lanka’s spin bowling was generally in a good place, with these three spinners around for the Test format, and others coming through the system. Sri Lanka are fielding two frontline left-arm spinners for the first time since the retirement of Rangana Herath (he had occasionally played alongside Malinda Pushpakumara late in his career). Wijetunge outlined Embuldeniya and Jayawickrama’s contrasting strengths.”Lasith Embuldeniya is a conventional type left-arm spinner, and of the three who are playing this game, he’s the most consistent in terms of his skill.”Praveen took 11 wickets on debut, and on this Galle pitch we would anyway consider him. He’s got natural variation, with the seam angles he uses. The ball straightens and when it hits the seam, it spins more than [it does] for the others. When they have exposure and experience, they are definitely going to be matchwinners.”Where Jayawickrama, in particular, has a decent straighter ball, but Embuldeniya has not yet developed a good version of that variation – something that was obvious during England’s tour of Sri Lanka in January. Where Emuldeniya and Wijetunge might have ordinarily worked on developing a straighter delivery through the course of the year, this has not been possible in 2021.”The one that comes in [to the right-hander] is definitely one that we have to work on with Embuldeniya. But with Covid-19 and the protocols around it, it has been difficult to work in new skills. We get bubbled a maximum of two weeks before the series, and the only thing we can do as coaches then is to get the players game-ready.”Before this, we had off-season training at the high performance centre, where we could have developed variations, or worked on consistency. But we haven’t had that chance, and there are only five or six skill-training sessions per series.”

Radha Yadav, Yastika Bhatia and Sayali Satghare, who were part of the previous T20I squad that played against England, have been left out

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2025Teenagers G Kamalini and Vaishnavi Sharma have earned their maiden India call-ups for the five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka later this month. Radha Yadav, Yastika Bhatia and Sayali Satghare, who were all part of the previous T20I squad that played against England, have been left out.Wicketkeeper-batter Kamalini, 17, whose heroics in the U-19 Asia Cup in 2024 earned her a WPL deal, played nine matches for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the tournament earlier this year. A big-hitting left-hand batter, she made an eye-catching unbeaten 11 off 8 in just her second match, including the winning four off the penultimate ball, for MI against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. She was one of the five players retained by MI for INR 50 lakh ahead of the WPL 2026 auction. In the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, she finished as the sixth-highest run-scorer with 297 runs in seven games.Left-arm spinner Vaishnavi, 19, finished with the most wickets in the Senior Women’s T20 (21 wickets in 11 games) for Madhya Pradesh, as well as the Senior Women’s Inter-Zonal T20s (12 in five) for Central Zone. She was also the leading wicket-taker during India’s successful U-19 World Cup campaign earlier this year – which Kamalini was also part of – with 17 wickets.Left-arm spinner Radha, who was part of India’s recent ODI World Cup win, finished with four wickets in three games at the tournament. She came in as a replacement for Shuchi Upadhyay for the England tour in June and took six wickets in five games. Wicketkeeper Yastika, meanwhile, was ruled out of the World Cup with a knee injury and has not played any top-flight cricket since August. There are no other surprises in the squad, which will be led by Harmanpreet Kaur.The first two T20Is of the five-match series will take place in Visakhapatnam on December 21 and 23, while Thiruvananthapuram will host the last three games on December 26, 28 and 30.

India’s T20I squad vs Sri Lanka

Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Harleen Deol, Amanjot Kaur, Arundhati Reddy, Kranti Gaud, Renuka Singh Thakur, Richa Ghosh (wk), G Kamalini (wk), N Sree Charani, Vaishnavi Sharma.

In terms of value per match, the T20 tournament is now behind only the NFL

Nagraj Gollapudi12-Jun-2022An IPL game is now worth a record INR 105 crore (USD 13.44 million) making it – in terms of value per match – the second-most lucrative sporting product in the entire world, behind only the NFL (USD 35.07 million*). This figure may actually rise considering the e-auction for the T20 tournament’s media rights, which began on Sunday, continues.The combined sum bid so far is INR 38,850 crore (USD 4.97 billion) – that is INR 21,090 crore (USD 2.7 billion) for Package A (TV rights for India sub-continent) and INR 17,760 crore (USD 2.27 billion) for Package B (digital for India subcontinent); it is already 2.38 times or 138% higher than the 2018-22 IPL rights deal, bagged by Star India in 2017 for $2.55 billion.These numbers are based on there being 74 games per season in the next five-year rights cycle starting in 2023. As it stands, the IPL has overtaken the Premier League, whose value per match, as per the 2022-25 rights, is listed at USD 11.34 million**.Doing away with the process of closed bids, the IPL put its media rights up for sale for the first time through an e-auction. In an e-auction, bids are filed through an online portal managed by an independent company. The highest bids across all categories are flashed on screen – simultaneously and live – but names of the bidders are not disclosed to ensure rivals don’t bump up prices.For this auction, the IPL set a minimum base price for each of the four categories and asked bidders to list their price on a per match basis. For Package A the per match base price is INR 49 crore (USD 6.3 million). For Package B it is INR 33 crore (USD 4.2 million) per match. For Package C it is INR 16 crore (USD 2.05 million) per match. For Package D it is INR 3 crore (USD 390,000).On Sunday, Packages A and B went up for bidding simultaneously with all the key bidders among final list of seven keenly contesting. The highest bid for Package A on was INR 57 crore (USD 7.29 million) – 16.3% higher than the base price set by IPL. The highest bid for Package B was INR 48 crore (USD 6.14 million), 45.4% higher than the base price.The combined figure – INR 105 crore – is already 93.6% higher than the per match value in the previous IPL rights deal (INR 54.23 crore).The bidders – Disney-Star, Sony, Viacom-Reliance, Zee, Fun Asia, Super Sport and Times Internet – will resume the auction on Monday 11 am IST. As per the rules set by IPL, the winner of Package A has the right to compete for the digital rights by locking horns with the highest bidder in Package B. The auction process will continue till one of them drops out. Once the highest bidder for Packages A and B are determined, the auction process for Packages C & D will commence.All USD values are approximations where 1 USD = 78 INR

White, who has been in the role since February 2012, said it “feels like the right time to step aside”

ESPNcricinfo staff10-May-2023New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White has announced his decision to step down from the role in August.White, who took over the position in February 2012, is just the fourth chief executive after Chris Doig, Martin Snedden and Justin Vaughan to lead NZC since the adoption of the Hood Report recommendations in 1995.”NZC is in a secure financial position with a solid balance sheet and long-term commercial agreements in place,” he said in a statement. “The BLACKCAPS are strong; women’s cricket is healthy, our high performance programme is producing excellence, and the community game is stable. It feels like the right time to step aside.”During White’s tenure, the New Zealand men’s team won the inaugural World Test Championship and reached the final of the World Cup three times (one T20 and two 50-over World Cups). Under him, New Zealand also took a big step towards pay equality, announcing that their women cricketers will earn the same match fees as the men under a new five-year deal in 2022.”David’s legacy has been immense,” Snedden, now serving as NZC board chair, said. “Our high performance systems have never been stronger, our cricket network has a level of financial security and stability never before experienced, and the future for women and girls has never been brighter.”David’s commercial acumen has driven revenue, enabling increased investment across the organisation. His administrative skills have unearthed unique, bespoke solutions for our high-performance programmes and infrastructure – no better illustrated than in the all-weather, turf-based training facilities now located throughout the country.”White, a former Test cricketer, had also served as chief executive of Auckland Rugby and, before that chief executive of Wellington Rugby before taking up the NZC role.”Under David, cricket in New Zealand has become far more inclusive, especially in regard to women and girls, our tangata whenua, and our Pasifika communities,” Snedden added.”When you think of how he navigated the Covid-19 pandemic, preserving the integrity of the community, domestic and international game, and his strong influence at ICC level, it makes you realise just how lucky we’ve been to have him at the helm.”

Also backs the retired Imad Wasim to make Pakistan comeback ahead of T20 World Cup following his stirring run in the PSL playoffs

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Mar-2024If Shadab Khan came across as slightly unsure about receiving the Player of the Tournament award after the PSL final on Monday night, he certainly didn’t feel undeserving. Quite the opposite in fact.” (Nothing like that, I deserve it),” he quipped after leading Islamabad United to their third PSL title.It’s difficult to argue. Captain of the title-winning team, joint fifth-highest wicket-taker with 14, ninth-highest run-getter with 305 runs at a strike rate of 142.52 (neck and neck with Babar Azam’s strike rate), eight catches and a couple of run-outs.Related

• Imad Wasim the hero as Islamabad scramble to two-wicket win in epic PSL final

• PSL 2023-24: Babar, Imad and Naseem headline star-studded team of the tournament

Shadab was instrumental in the thrilling final-ball win over Multan Sultans in Karachi in the PSL final, picking up 3 for 32 including the wicket of his Multan counterpart, Mohammad Rizwan. It made Islamabad the most successful PSL franchise, with a third title, and Shadab’s second after the 2018 win. There was little doubt which triumph was more memorable.”This title is the really big one,” Shadab said. “In 2018, it was only my second season. I had had success very quickly in my career. This one has been a lot of hard work, and built on the belief of a lot of people, including our owners, Rehan ul Haq (the team manager) and the other management. Our belief as a team is such that we never let any doubt in. That is how you recognise a good team, because it doesn’t let in any doubt. So very satisfied that we’ve won.”It wasn’t a straightforward campaign for Islamabad by any means. They stuttered early on with three consecutive losses after a season-opening win. That included an almighty collapse against Peshawar Zalmi when they fell from 181 for 3 to 191 for 9, also losing four wickets in an over.But belief in their ways and methods remained firm and some old hands came good, not least Faheem Ashraf and the player of the final – and the playoffs – Imad Wasim.”The way we started, then lost three consecutive games, our belief remained the same. The matches we lost were close ones, last-over games, or we controlled games and then lost. Cricket doesn’t let you relax,” Shadab said.”From the Karachi [Kings] game, it had become knockout matches for us, and we took it one game at a time. We’ve always had the belief in our group that we have players who can win us games from anywhere.”Imad Wasim was Islamabad’s main man in the PSL playoffs•Pakistan Super League

Imad’s return to form was especially critical, a series of match-winning performances starting from the must-win group game against Multan. After a torrid start to the tournament, Imad won the Player of the Match award in every game in the playoffs, taking wickets and finishing games with the bat.The run has been accompanied by increasing chatter to get him back into Pakistan colours, Imad having retired last November from international cricket, not entirely content. Shadab was unequivocal in his support.”He must have had some issues to take such a big decision [when he announced his retirement],” Shadab said. “It’s his own decision if he wants to take it back. If someone talks to him about it, I think he might return. It is a World Cup season. Our best players, and those in the best form should play. That’s my wish that he plays. What his own thinking is, that’s different.”Indirectly, part of the reason for the clamour for Imad has been Shadab’s own form for Pakistan. After a disappointing Asia Cup and ODI World Cup at the end of last year, he was not picked for Pakistan’s T20I series in New Zealand at the start of the year. As such, his performances and form in this PSL have served as an audition for a return, even if he hasn’t seen it as such.”Whatever team I play for, I want to help them win,” he said. “Even this tournament, I wasn’t playing so that it would get me back in the Pakistan side. My effort was just to improve and do the things I can do. Playing for Pakistan is not in your hands. Your discipline and process is in your hands. Sometimes you’ll perform, sometimes you won’t, sometimes you’ll be in the team, sometimes out of it. But if the process is consistent you will improve. Everybody wants to play for Pakistan and in a World Cup, that is my wish too. But it’s not in my control.”I understand criticism on performances, but when it becomes personal then it is difficult. We are a one-sport nation, so everyone wants the team to win, or players to perform. That pressure is there every day you have to perform.”I believe in the process, if that is good, then results will come. When you don’t do well, you have to accept it. You can’t deny that. If your attitude is 100%, that’s it, you can’t control beyond that. If there is too much focus on results, then that process suffers.”

Gazi Ashraf Hossain said they decided to not make any tweaks after a conversation with captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe

Mohammad Isam25-May-2024Bangladesh chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain is keeping the faith in the 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup keeping in mind the ICC’s May 25 deadline to submit the final squads for the tournament. Bangladesh had the opportunity to make changes after they lost the first two T20Is – and hence the series – against USA in Texas with the same squad.”After speaking to the captain [Najmul Hossain Shanto] and coach [Chandika Hathurusinghe], we decided to keep this squad,” Ashraf said. “We are hoping they do well in the T20 World Cup. We are keeping faith in the existing squad. We never expected that the team will start the tour with a series loss [against USA]. But that’s the reality. We have another 12 days in hand. We have to get out of this disappointment. They know that if the team does well in the World Cup, this will be forgotten quickly.”Ashraf was speaking at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka where the BCB called up 21 players for the Bangladesh Tigers’ training camp from May 26. Ashraf said the camp includes six players designated as T20 World Cup reserves although Mohammad Saifuddin has opted out for the first two weeks due to a family emergency.Related

• Rishad Hossain, a package Bangladesh don't understand but can't ignore

• Injured Taskin Ahmed named in Bangladesh's T20 World Cup squad

• Ali Khan, Monank Patel take USA to historic series win over Bangladesh

“Since nobody was in training, we started the Bangladesh Tigers’ camp. We are keeping some players ready for white-ball cricket so that when facing a crisis, we can send replacements,” he said. “They are all World Cup standbys. (Anamul Haque) Bijoy is there if there’s a crisis around Litton (Das). (Nurul Hasan) Sohan is there for Jaker Ali. Khaled, (Parvez Hossain) Emon, Nasum (Ahmed) and (Mehidy Hasan) Miraz are also in the camp. Nasum was suffering from jaundice, so he might join the players in the Sylhet phase next month.”Saifuddin has been given a leave till June 10. He is attending to a family situation. He was one of the six players asked to join the Bangladesh Tigers’ training camp. We will now prepare Khaled with the others.”Bangladesh’s opening batting combination has been under scrutiny this year, particularly with Litton Das and Soumya Sarkar looking out of form. Tanzid Hasan has been the only opener to have scored a little consistently although he has played only six T20Is since his T20I debut against Zimbabwe earlier this month.Ashraf said they are not looking for a makeshift opening option just yet because he feels it is a specialist’s job. He said they should be able to pick openers from those who did well in the BPL this year.”Facing the new ball is a challenge everywhere, so you won’t see many teams nowadays sending makeshift openers,” he said. “Unless they really have to. Cricket has moved on from using pinch hitters.”We are supposed to have 24 openers playing in the BPL, if you consider each team having a reserve opener apart from the regular pair. I don’t think it is a good practice if we have to think about a makeshift.”Ashraf also informed that Taskin Ahmed, who suffered a side strain earlier this month, could be training properly from June 5. “Taskin could start light training from June 1. He is recovering quicker than expected. He could be bowling with a full run-up from June 5,” he said.Bangladesh, in Group D, open their T20 World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka on June 7 in Dallas before heading to New York to play South Africa (June 10), and then to St Vincent to take on Netherlands (June 13) and Nepal (June 16). They will also play two warm- up games, against USA on May 28, and opposite India on June 1 before the main tournament.

Bangladesh squad for T20 World Cup

:Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Taskin Ahmed (vice-capt), Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Towhid Hridoy, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Tanvir Islam, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan
Traveling reserves: Hasan Mahmud, Afif Hossain